Posted by Wildbill (66.56.161.240 | 66.56.161.240) on July 31, 2002 at 00:30:30:
In Reply to: My Two Cents: The State of Things in the Translation Scene posted by Taskforce on July 30, 2002 at 22:55:39:
I still believe that what we do falls just short of a miracle, and I will never allow a few disruptive elements, breast-beating non-producers, or general egomaniacs to spoil my fun, but nothing makes me more uncomfortable than widespread public exposure to this hobby --- like members of the translation community passing detailed data and information to magazines and publications that reveal what we're about to mainstream audiences --- with the possible exception of anything involving money.
Remember the Famicom Earthbound English prototype dumping project? I was collaborating with NDF at the time, when one fine day someone on Demi's old board called our attention to a persion named Mariotti who had just sold the proto to a new owner named Kenny.
To make a long story short, I took on the task of negotiating with Kenny to get the cart mailed to Imid for dumping, but it cost us several hundred dollars. I thought this was fair, because Kenny was concerned about the cart being devaluated if the ROM image was actually playable.
It didn't really matter, because we would have translated the game anyhow. But I swore after that I would never again get mixed up in a public money deal, especially involving a large disjointed group in which coordination was effected on a www board open for the whole world to read. Yet, how else were we to solicit contributors?
Of course, I am not denigrating the 20 or so fine individuals who donated between $5 and $50 to make this happen. There was some money left over, so I bought two copies of Lennus-II, and sent one to SOM2Freak, who dumped our first good L-II ROM.
I still have the other cart, as project coordinator and writer on this long standing CTC/MD/J2e/Stealth translation effort that now stands at about 75% complete. Since I picked up the Phantasy Star Gaiden cart for free (to dump and return), I was able to obtain for the deserving Taskforce, a complete copy of Ranma 1/2 RPG-j (or was it SNES Villgust?), and a copy of Star Ocean that went to Robyn in England, who worked on early translations in the ongoing Mystic Ark project.
After that, I washed my hands of further money deals. Point is, anything involving money that is publically managed leaves open the possibility of all sorts of unwanted public exposure. If the manufacturing companies gain even the slighest inkling that we are using source materials containing intellectual property rights in which we hold no legal interests, that we are manipulating that data to aid and abet in creating a mechanism that allows the property to be altered, and finally (and most importantly), that we are being rewarded, remunerated, or otherwise benefitted as recipients of tangible goods of intrinsic value, it may become "Katie, bar the door!" for all of us.
I submit that the shaky legal ground upon which we stand will remain solid only so long as we fastidiously adhere to our heretofore staunch "not for profit" orientation.
All I can add is, remember Kanjihack, ASCII, and RPG Maker?
Well, whenever I get a gut full of the weirdness that sometimes goes on in this scene, I simply turn off the PC, grab a videogame, curl up in my fine leather recliner, plug in the controller extension cord, and have at it for a couple days.
Later, back at the PC, my hunger to have a new game renews me and overcomes all. Is it fun? An obsession? Don't know. Perhaps it's obsessive fun!
> I'd like to talk about the state of things in the
> translation scene and especially this DeJaP situation.
>
> You know, I've said several places that I think
> accepting donations of money for hard drive recovery
> was an acceptable thing. However, DeJaP has mentioned
> in its post that this is NO LONGER just accepting
> money for a hard drive recovery. Now it is also
> accepting Hardware as well. And not for that purpose.
>
> This is IMHO completely and utterly WRONG! We aren't
> talking about something they need so they can get back
> lost work. We are now talking about PC parts for
> a system that is "a backup". And I've read places that
> they've even accepted more than just stuff for the
> backup unit.
>
> This is now a business. They can pretend all they
> want, but pretending doesn't make it anything other
> than what it is. These boys better know how to handle
> this with the IRS too, because this IS profit. The
> IRS will REAM their ass if they try to claim it as
> anything else.
>
> I'm sorry, I think this is now wrong. And I'll
> broadcast that to the ends of the earth not that it
> will do any good. Yes, as I said, I'm not for or
> against the donations to fix the PC. But those
> donations only. And letting DF handle any money that
> is left (assuming their is any) is also WRONG. That
> money should be split back up among the highest
> donators and given back.
>
> Heh, just as an example. I'm using a TNT2 M64 32MB and
> my 8x CD Writer just went out. I bought a 32x but
> it is a piece of junk. You don't see me asking
> for donations to replace these. I'll live with the
> TNT2 and the crappy CD Writer that I bought to replace
> it cause it is all *I* could afford.
>
> As for the other scene in general. I can say that
> I am actually as happy with certain individuals in
> the scene as I ever was. There are those of you that
> I get along quite well with. There are those of you
> that I don't get along with quite so well and still
> admire your work. Then there are those of you that I
> do neither. Boy does it seem that more and move are
> sliding into the second and third catagory now though.
> Which is starting to make the scene to me not quite
> so fun anymore. Between that and I myself getting
> myself into things I shouldn't. (I'll leave that
> comment to your imagination.) The scene is quickly
> becoming as much a chore for me as it is a fun thing.
>
> With that said though, there are still a LOT of
> individuals that make this fun enough for me to stick
> around. Wildbill, Akujin, Bongo`, Laxidman, Drakkhen,
> Klarth and a few others that I really enjoy hanging
> out with and talking to and even collaborating on
> projects with.
>
> So, in summery, I think the DeJaP situation has gone
> further than it should, and is hurting the scene and
> it's people. I myself and not nearly enjoying things
> as much as I once was but am enjoying them enough to
> still stick around. I just hope the scene improves
> instead of sliding even further downhill.
>
> And to those of you that I still enjoy talking with
> and working with (there are more than I mentioned),
> thanks for making this fun enough to keep me going.
> You deserve the thanks.
>
> -Taskforce